Colorful mobile celebrates Easter, spring

For many, Easter Sunday means celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also signifies the beginning of spring and personal rebirth.

Amy Berkowitz

For many, Easter Sunday means celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also signifies the beginning of spring and personal rebirth.

This Easter egg mobile welcomes spring and spreads optimism with plastic Easter eggs, an Easter bonnet and all the colors of the season. To create different shapes for your characters, turn the egg in different directions. You can also take it apart and use two bottoms together or separate the egg and invert the top into the bottom. Glue into place.

Each egg couple represents a whimsical look at daily life in the Hudson Valley.

It wouldn't be spring without a little spring fever. The top egg couple represents new love: a bride and her sailor groom newly married. Underneath are the traditional Easter bunny and baby chick, and since many consider pets part of the family, I added a dog and cat.

The Easter bonnet is decorated with a brother and his ballerina sister, an older distinguished couple and a farmer protecting his prized carrot. Notice how I didn't pair that carrot with the bunny.

Supplies

2 packages of plastic Easter eggs; small baskets or small boxes (suggestion: If you use a box, wrap it with Easter or spring-colored wrapping paper); straw hat; thin 28- or 30-gauge silver wire or any cord; hot glue gun and sticks; jewelry pliers or sharp knife; a variety of wiggle eyes; Easter grass or raffia (in your choice of color); felt or small pom-poms; decorations such as tiny hats, rhinestones, flowers and butterflies; wide ribbon.

Optional: A needlepoint wooden hoop to insert in the hat to hold the hanging baskets (I used a 5-inch hoop; use the hoop that fits inside the hat you get).

Directions

(NOTE: Do not put any decorations on the hat until all your characters are attached with wire. The ribbon on the bonnet is meant to cover the wire and holes you will make when attaching the hoop and the baskets of eggs.)

Take your needlepoint hoop, wire and a pliers (or knife). Weave the wire in and out of the straw hat attaching the hoop inside the hat. This is needed if you are going to attach your characters around the hoop. If you stack them as I did, you do not have to use the hoop. You can poke a hole in the top of the hat and push a piece of strong cord through the top, then knot it above the hat and inside it. To make the hole extra strong glue a piece of felt with a hole in it inside the hat for reinforcement and hang the wire from the loop inside the hat. Put tissue or paper inside each basket to build it up and cover it with Easter grass (add a drop of glue to keep grass inside). Glue decorated eggs inside basket.

Link the baskets to each other with wire by wrapping the wire around where the handle meets the basket and knotting it on the top of the handle on both sides. For boxes, poke a hole in either side and slide a piece of wire in each hole forming a "U" on both sides. It will suspend each basket or box like a swing. When all of your characters are suspended, you can hot-glue the ribbon to the hat to hide the wires and holes. Then decorate to your taste.

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